Who is Arun Subramanian? Diddy's federal trafficking case gets abruptly reassigned to a new judge

The judgeship of Sean "Diddy" Combs' ongoing federal trial case was transferred to Judge Arun Subramanian via a court docket notice on Thursday, October 3, 2024. It was previously randomly assigned to Judge Andrew Carter, who denied the rapper bail two times.

So far, the official reason for the reassignment has not been disclosed. However, The Source reported that Judge Carter excused himself from the case. As per legal journalist and analyst Meghann Cuniff, Judge Carter had previously indicated finding another judge during the September 18 bail hearing.

“If I can’t try it, I’ll find a colleague who can if you want to set a trial date,” the judge told Diddy’s lead attorney Marc Agnifilo.

Judge Andrew's replacement, Judge Arun Subramanian, is a judge at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He has been serving in the role for one and a half years. Judge Subramanian is also the first Indian-American and South Asian to become a New York District Court Judge.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama nominated Judge Andrew Carter in 2011.

The judge was the one who denied Diddy a $50 million bond on the grounds of witness tampering and violent behavior, among other obstructions. Prosecutors argued that Diddy was a “serious flight risk.”

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All you need to know about Arun Subramanian, the new judge in Diddy’s case

President Joe Biden nominated Arun Subramanian as the judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York in September 2022. However, the US Senate returned the nomination, citing sine die adjournment in January 2023.

The judge was re-nominated by Biden and the Senate subsequently confirmed him in March 2023, with a majority of 59/37 votes. At the time, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made a statement about Arun Subramanian's re-nomination. He said that the judge was the “epitome of the American Dream and a history maker” as the child of hard-working immigrants from India.

“Mr. Subramanian’s resumé tells a very clear story: he is excellent, he is accomplished, and he’s dedicated his entire career fighting for average Americans. He served as a law clerk to Judge Dennis Jacobs on the Second Circuit, Judge Gerard Lynch in the Southern District of New York, and the late, great, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” Schumer shared.

Judge Arun Subramanian replaced Judge Alison J. Nathan as judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Later, he was also appointed to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Before becoming a federal judge, he was a partner at the law firm Susman Godfrey LLP from 2007 to 2023.

Arun served as the law clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States (2006–2007) under the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He was also a part of the civil litigators for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (2005-2006). The judge also served the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2004-2005).

Born in 1979 to Indian immigrant parents in Pittsburgh, Arun Subramanian went on to obtain a J.D. from the Columbia Law School in 2004. He earned his B.A. degree from Case Western Reserve University in 2001.

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The rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs was arrested from the Park Hyatt Hotel in New York City following a grand jury indictment on September 16, 2024. He was taken into custody on charges of s*x trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in pr*stitution.

He is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn without bond, awaiting trial. Diddy has also been placed under a “procedural” suicide watch. If convicted, he is looking to face 15 years to life in federal prison.

Sean Combs, who is set to appear before the court next on October 9, has appealed the bond decision.